20161204

HMRC "gleeful" ahead of KPMG raid

Lawyers for the Big Four firm's partners Eamonn Donaghy, Jon D’Arcy, Paul Hollway and Arthur O’Brien told the court in Belfast that there was no justification for taking the "nuclear option" of an intrusive operation that also involved trawling through children's school bags, according to a report from the Belfast Telegraph.

The four men, the firm’s most senior partners in Ireland, are challenging the legality of the permits gained to search their homes and business premises.

They were arrested last November in connection with suspected tax evasion. None have been charged. Their counsel has previously argued that important information, including about their cooperation with the investigation, was omitted in HMRC’s applications for the warrant.